Former MTSU assistant Mariska Harris resurfaces as Ravenwood coach

MURFREESBORO – Mariska Harris wasn't looking to become head girls basketball coach at Ravenwood High School, but the job found her nonetheless.

A few weeks earlier, Harris had resigned as MTSU women's assistant basketball coach, citing a desire to commit more time to starting a family with husband Chris and new son Callum, born May 28. She had accepted a job teaching wellness and physical education at Ravenwood, but coaching basketball wasn't part of the plan.

That was before Ravenwood coach Matt Robinson resigned late last month after one season to accept a similar job plus be assistant athletic director at Beaumont School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. With former high school head coaching experience at Independence High for two seasons before spending the last four assisting at MTSU, Harris was a natural choice to fill the Ravenwood position, especially since she was already on staff.

"When I sent Ravenwood my resume, it was just for a teaching position," Harris said. "Usually to teach P.E. in high school, a coaching position has to be attached. After the previous coach left, I was asked if I would be interested in interviewing for the job."

This coming on the heels of an eventful pregnancy this past winter and spring while still an assistant on coach Rick Insell's Lady Raiders staff. After going into premature labor at 24 weeks and then again at 28 weeks, Harris spent a week in the hospital before being confined to a bed.

On May 28, Callum Harris was born five weeks early, and both mother and son are doing just fine.

"Baby is healthy," Harris said, "and mommy is doing good, too, trying to get back in shape and doing things. I was used to being on the go and working a lot, so not doing anything was really hard."

Harris called resigning the MTSU post "one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," because she felt such allegiance to Insell and the program. She spent two seasons as director of basketball operations before being promoted to assistant coach the last two years.

The Ezell-Harding product was a standout at Trevecca Nazarene University, where she met husband Chris, the son of long-time Trevecca men's basketball coach Sam Harris. She was hired in 2008 right out of college to be head girls basketball coach at Independence, where she coached two seasons before being hired by Insell.

Harris said she discussed taking the Ravenwood coaching position with Insell, who gave her his blessings and well wishes. "Coach Insell understood when I came in to tell him about the Ravenwood job," Harris said. "He has three kids who grew up while he was coaching. I'm just now starting to raise a family.

" … I just want to thank coach Insell and everybody at MTSU for being so supportive"

While coaching high school basketball has its demands, it pales in comparison to the college level. There are no extended trips to play games or travel to scout and/or recruit players. The high school level is much more doable for a mother who just gave birth.

"It has different types of demands," Harris said of coaching high school and college basketball. "In high school, you're not traveling for a week to play games in Florida or Texas. And you're not gone recruiting the entire month of July. I think everybody understands the level and pressures of coaching at the college level. Coaching high school is still a demanding full-time job, but it's right here in my own community less than 10 minutes from where I live."

Greg Pogue, former executive sports editor at The DNJ, is host of the morning sports talk show on 94.9 FM Game 2. E-mail him at grpogue@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter.